Rising Storm Clouds
by Aquamarine Phoenix
Summary: The Great Hall was silent. Harry Potter? He disappeared years ago only to show up now and end up in Slytherin? What! But slowly, the Slytherin table erupted into cheers and claps and cautiously welcomed the Boy-Who-Lived into the Snake Den. But what could cause the Sorting Hat to take a child from a traditional Gryffindor family and send him here? Just ask the one who raised him.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**Warnings: AU, mentions of neglect, death and abuse**

Chapter One: And so it begins…

_Unspecified Realm - 1543 _

Everyone is afraid of death. The Roman philosopher Cicero said death is not to be feared, but if that's true then why am I so scared right now? I was dying and there was nothing I could do about it. Thick smoke surround me and fires burned and raged too close for comfort. My village was in shambles and I was left to die alone. Everyone else had already died and it was only a matter of time before I joined them.

My name is Sasha Satome and the year is 1543.

I have to say, I wasn't expecting this to happen, but of course no nine year old child expects to die. I remember how the day went; I woke up, ate breakfast, went to school and came back home to do chores. Cara and Cameron, my older siblings who were twins helped me with my homework and by the time Father returned home it was supper time.

But Father was acting strange, he was sad and looked really tired, even more so than usual. Mother sent us off to bed and stayed up to talk with him. They mumbled so I couldn't hear them but I guess Cameron could because he got mad. He confronted them and started yelling. I didn't like it when Cameron yelled.

Then he and Father got into a yelling match, something about keeping someone safe. Then there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Caper heard the yelling and was worried, she said someone must've called the police force because they were on their way to the house. I only knew this because I'd snuck out in the hallway by then.

Father had resolved to speak with them but that was when the screaming started. Within seconds my village was thrown into turmoil and chaos. Rogues had come and they were determined to cause hell.

Mother panicked and Father went out to fight. I heard the gunshot only seconds after he walked out the door and immediately knew he was dead. Mother's mission now was to get the rest of us to safety. We didn't take anything but the clothes on our back and a small pouch of money. Cameron led the way, he said he was prepared to fight for us. Cara and Mother guided me out the back, but Cameron was struck down.

Before I knew it, Mother had pushed me and Cara and told us to run. She was cut down as well. Cara picked me up and ran wildly. The rogue that killed Mother and Cameron couldn't keep up and soon we lost him in the chaos of our burning village.

Cara and I thought we were in the clear when she stuffed us inside a hollow tree. We were both quiet for a long time and as the sky grew darker and darker, the chaos slowly simmered down.

We were wrong.

Cara was snatched from me and I screamed and cried as I was dragged out too. The grip on my leg was iron hot and I thrashed around. Cara was killed in front of me mercilessly, but those savages had their fun with me. I was carved and cut, beaten and bruised. They laughed drunkenly before leaving me to perish in the ruins of my village.

Anger consumed me as did pain, sadness, hopelessness, and a million other emotions. Then I saw him. He was beautiful with silky blond hair and shining amethyst colored eyes. He smiled so gently, so serenely that I felt as if everything would be alright. He held out a hand covered in a soft white glove and reached for me. With extreme difficulty I reached out to him and brushed his hand.

Blinding white light engulfed us both and all I felt was soothing warmth. I collapsed into the warmth, embracing it for all that it was worth. Soon enough I closed my eyes and slept, dreaming of amethyst gems and the sensation of flying. Somewhere in the distance I could've sworn I heard a large cat roar.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

_Present Time – Japan_

The Dursley family was quite proud of their normality. Petunia Dursley was a _normal _woman with a loving and _normal _husband and the apple of her eye was her cute and _normal _son Dudley. A glimpse of unruly black hair made Petunia's pleasant smile quickly shift into a disgusted frown. The black mark that marred the perfect image of the _perfectly normal _Dursley family.

_Harry_. What a positively _horrid_ name. Nothing like the radiant name of her Duddykins. Petunia realized that she was in public and quickly schooled her face into a charming smile. To onlookers she resembled a horse with its lips pulled back. She nodded politely to a tall Japanese man who passed and he cringed away from her.

Harry's mouth twitched at the reaction of the man but he dared not to outwardly show it. The loud thumps of Vernon's steps beside him made him worry a bit. It sounded like the man was going to crack the pavement. The looks the "family" received were actually rather amusing. Many of the Japanese folk seemed like they couldn't understand why a child was walking alongside a beached whale, walrus and horse.

Harry merely remained quiet as the Dursley's talked rambunctiously. They were drawing attention to themselves and didn't seem to mind it. Meanwhile, they left Harry to blend into the background. Soon enough they walked past an odd looking stand with papery coverings hanging down. A crowd of people blocked the entrance and only a few moments as Harry spotted the stand, the crowd burst into applause.

The noise piqued the interest of Dudley and he immediately tugged on Vernon's shirt. The man (if you could even call him one) resisted at first. But then Dudley's face turned an unsightly shade of purple and red (quite similar to how Vernon reacts to Harry) so the walrus-man was forced to adhere to his son's demand in order to not cause a scene.

No thought of punishing the boy even briefly flickered through Vernon's mind.

Harry wasn't all that surprised, after all what Dudley wanted, Dudley got. The trio (the Dursley's refused to acknowledge Harry) walked over to the stand to see what all the commotion was.

Vernon pushed through the crowd to the front, it was actually quite easy because of his size. The crowd was so surprised by the intrusion. Some glared and others just threw dirty looks. Harry was able to slip in between peoples legs to get to the front. Unfortunately he ended up away from his "family" so that meant he had to keep an eye on them in order to not be left behind.

Harry turned his attention to the crowd gatherer and was surprised to see a young girl – not too much older than himself – sitting calmly in a straight backed chair. Her face was schooled into a cool smirk and her hazel eyes held a fierce determination. Across from her sat a rather large and buff man with a scruffy dark beard. His arm was extended and his hand clasped hers in a classic arm-wrestling pose.

Compared to the muscled man she looked as if she'd be snapped in half.

Regardless of how it looked, she still had her smirk placed firmly on her face. Next to him an American man had to yell in order to be heard by his friend. "Who're ya bettin' on?"

His friend, Japanese by the looks, merely laughed and replied back just as loudly. "Definitely the guy, I mean do you _see _him?! There's no way she can win!"

Harry's focus remained on the girl. It was almost as if she could hear the man as clear as day with the way she was looking at him. The young boy shivered, if looks could kill that man would've been thrice times under. The match had yet to start however, as people were still placing bets. The girl sneered at the Japanese man next to Harry who dissed her strength.

The match was to begin soon and she went to place her focus back on her opponent. In an instance, hazel eyes and green met. It seemed as if they were locked in a staring contest for the longest of times when she tore her gaze from his. The "referee" called the match to begin and the cheers increased in volume.

Harry watched, fascinated as the girl didn't budge an inch when her opponent put all the force he could into taking her hand down. The smirk was back on her face and her eyes glinted dangerously. It was then that Harry realized that the man was no match for her. Her opponent was getting tired from the exertion, Harry could clearly see the muscles in his arm bulge and flex trying in vain to move her slimmer arm.

Slowly her smirk grew into a lopsided half-smile and she flexed her arm. The muscle showed under dusky brown skin and with a fast movement she slammed her opponents arm onto the table, snapping the wood in half. The man went down and hit the floor with a hard thud. Silence reigned over the crowd before those that bet on the girl burst out into cheers.

The dumbfounded silence of those that had bet against her was amusing to Harry. The girl stood from her chair calmly and slid a navy blue jacket on, covering the plain black shirt she was wearing. She collected the money offered and walked out. Harry had the strong urge to follow her but realized that he had to be getting back to the Dursley's.

With sickening feeling Harry realized that he had took his eyes off of them. Frantically he looked around, nearly giving himself whiplash. His aunt was nowhere to be found and neither was the beach ball form of his uncle. He stood stiff where he was filled with dread.

He had been abandoned.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

He didn't know how long he'd been walking. It seems like forever. Being lost in a foreign country was something no eight year old would ever expect but Harry felt he should've known better. He knew the Dursley's didn't care for him but leaving him like this was a new kind of low.

After attempting to ask a random citizen where the nearest police station was (and failing) Harry gave up. He would resign himself to wandering around aimlessly. Just where were the American tourists anyway? It was like they all had disappeared.

Actually, Harry blinked, "Where is everyone? _Any_one?" he asked aloud.

True to his belated observation, there was no one roaming the streets. Harry couldn't even hear distant sounds, it was all silent. A cold feeling crept up the boy's spine and his emerald green eyes showed extreme worry. He had a bad feeling about this.

The nondescript street was barren and broken down. Old houses and buildings lined the sides and if Harry wasn't mistaken, there was some blood littering the broken windows. What sounded like a can being kicked startled Harry and he whipped around to face the direction. Not wanting to be the dumb character in the horror movies that always gets yelled at, Harry made to run in the opposite direction.

Before the boy could move two steps forward a large shadow fell over him. Harry became paralyzed with fear and suddenly understood why horror movie victims stayed still. It was a large and hulking figure, complete with numerous poison purple eyes and many tentacles. The monster had no definite shape, it merely looked like a large… blob of some sorts. Slime and goop dripped off its body and it opened its hidden mouth to reveal dozens of sharp teeth as it loomed over Harry.

Finally having some sense kicked into him Harry released a strangled scream and tears sprung to his eyes. With clouded vision the boy spun around once again and prepared to run. It was a failed attempt however when a strong tentacle wrapped around his waist and ankle to drag him back.

"No, no, no! Let me go! Please let me go!" Harry screamed hysterically. It all had happened so fast and within moments he was dangling in the air and then he was thrown. Skidding across the rocky street earned him more than enough scrapes and bruises and he was sure a bone or four had broken. In the midst of his air adventure Harry's glasses had flown off and his already bad vision clouded with more tears and pain.

With extreme difficulty he lifted his head a fraction and found that he couldn't even scream because he was in so much pain. His vision faded in and out and he wished that he would just pass out to keep from seeing all of the blood surrounding him.

The dangerous monster could only move but so fast but Harry saw that it was inching closer to him again. Mouth open and teeth gleaming, it raised a tentacle to strike at him for the final time.

'_So this is how I die? Not by a beating from Vernon or Dudley or poisoned by Petunia, but some creature that I don't even know exists? Am I really so unloved? I don't want to die…'_

Harry closed his eyes, preparing to breathe for the last time. He tensed as he felt the wind fly by the tentacle…

The air seemed to have stilled and Harry found himself wondering why he wasn't dead yet. Cautiously cracking his eyes open a sliver, he was faced with a back. But not just any back, he realized that this back was somewhat familiar. Wavy dark hair tumbled gracefully down navy blue clad shoulders and tied off into two low ponytails by big red circle holders. The jacket stopped at the waist of the person and showed the somewhat long legs clad in black jeans and blue high top trainers. The girl tilted her head to the side and revealed wide, almond shaped hazel eyes and an easy-going smile.

"Hey, kid," she said reassuringly. "It's gonna be alright."

Harry couldn't even nod. He merely stared blankly at her and he guess something showed because her gaze became more worried and concerned. The monster pushed her back some and she turned her focus back to it, gaining a steely look of determination in her eyes.

She huffed in irritation, "You waltz around like you own the damned place and I don't like that. Then you go and hurt an innocent child. I value few things above all else, but one of those few things is that children are to be protected and cherished! 立ち去る!¹ And do not return!"

Harry watched it all through barely open eyes. The girl glowed a dim white and murmured under her breath, "Release, 秋雨². Unleash the depths of Hell and devour!"

A dark mass covered her right arm and slowly a katana formed. With quick movements, the monster was sliced in half and dissipated into black particles. The particles scattered and slowly vanished to nothingness. Harry relaxed, seeing that the immediate danger was gone. His vision faded more drastically and he went limp.

The girl banished her sword and quickly picked Harry up, carefully cradling him in her arms. Harry's head lolled back and he murmured incoherently. The last thing he saw was her radiant smile.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

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**And so the first chapter is done! For those of you that follow my other stories, I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates. I don't feel motivated enough, especially when no one reviews. Anyway, this is the result of me watching Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East and becoming mildly obsessed with Shino Inuzuka. He's just so adorable!**

**But please enjoy this story and remember to review! I need reviews and not getting them makes me think that I'm doing something wrong. My story, **Little Dove**, has been taken down because I felt that I could've done so much better with the premise. **

**A.P is outty!**

**Ciaossu~ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I would be rich if I did and clearly I am not rich. I also do not own Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East, however I do use elements of it in this story.**

**Warnings: AU, mentions of neglect, abandonment and abuse**

**So I realized that I forgot to put down the translations of the Japanese characters at the end of the previous chapter and I apologize! The first footnote, ****立ち去る****, is "tachisaru" in romaji. It's another word for saying "leave". The second footnote, ****秋雨****, is "akisame" in romaji. It is translated as "autumn rain". Again, so sorry for the inconvenience! **

Chapter Two: Haru Satome

_Nondescript Location – Present Time_

Sasha looked down at the unconscious boy with a frown. After he had passed out she flashed to her home to tend to his injuries. His left arm was broken in two places, three cracked ribs, numerous lacerations all over his body including his head and his ankle was sprained. She was surprised he hadn't broken more but she was more surprised at the old bruises that mingled with his new ones.

It was obvious his previous caretakers didn't treat him well. He was way too small and petite for his age which was an obvious sign of malnourishment. Sasha grit her teeth, if she ever found out who would harm an innocent child then she's sending them straight to hell via Akisame. Due to dying at a young age herself, Sasha valued children above nearly all else.

She shuddered slightly, if she hadn't saved him when she did then the kid was just as good as dead. What was a yōkai doing all the way out here anyway? The teen flexed her now exposed right arm and channeled a bit of energy to it. Dark tribal markings covered the dusky brown skin and the limb heated up. She stopped the flow of energy before the manifestation took place.

She looked down. The kid still had his eyes closed but his breathing pattern indicated that he was awake. Quirking an eyebrow and remaining silent she merely watched the kid try to stay "asleep". She leaned over the futon to brush his hair away from his forehead and paused at the sight of a familiar scar. The lightning bolt shape was a dead giveaway of who this kid was.

Sasha smoothed a finger over the shape of the scar. As she did so she pushed a bit of sensory magic into it. What signaled back was certainly not something she expected to find. Dark magic pulsed deeply within the scar and shocked her. She quickly pulled her finger back due to the shock and Harry's eyes flew open.

He was breathing heavily and his had rose to touch his scar. Unfortunately for him it was his left arm he tried to move and that arm was broken. He breathed in a sharp gasp at the pain and clutched the arm with his good one.

"Your arm is broken in two places, you've got a seriously sprained ankle, and you have three cracked ribs and cuts and bruises galore. I wouldn't move too much if I were you kid."

Harry was startled at the husky alto his savior had spoken with. He leveled his gaze with her but remained silent. She smiled gently, "I'm Sasha. Sasha Satome, and _you _are Harry Potter." Sasha enjoyed the panic that filled Harry's green eyes, "Calm down, you're just famous in certain parts of the world."

He stayed quiet but this time Sasha frowned lightly. "You can talk, y'know. Your throat wasn't damaged which I find remarkable. Usually yōkai go for the throat, it makes for a simple kill."

His posture became submissive, hunched at the shoulders with his head and eyes down. "Thank you." He said quietly. Sasha regarded him with a neutral look, he just sounded so… broken.

Sighing she lifted her hand to ruffle his hair. Harry saw the oncoming appendage and braced himself to be hit. When it didn't come he cautiously opened his eyes. His savior – Sasha – looked heartbroken. And Harry was curious as to why. Slowly she retracted her hand to fold with the other placed on her lap.

A growl broke the tense silence and almost immediately Sasha's face brightened. "You must be hungry! I'll go get some food, Shizuka and Kōji have prepared a feast just for you! I'll be right back."

Harry watched Sasha until she slid the door shut and he began to realize that he must've still been in Japan. The room he was in was quite spacious and comfortable. He was resting on a low set bed covered with a plush forest green comforter and equally plush white pillows. The floor was hard wood and felt cool to the touch he realized as he set his feet on it.

He noticed that the "door" Sasha exited mere moments ago was very thin and he could faintly see outlines of other people passing. The walls of the room were a neutral beige color and held various murals of trees and – what he assumed to be – Japanese words. The door slid open once more and he was greeted by the sight of a woman he didn't recognize carrying a gold accented dark brown tray.

The mystery woman smiled brightly and stepped into the room, kneeling before the form of Harry to place the tray next to him. She bowed her head politely, "Ohayō Bocchan, I hope you recovered well. I am Kamiya, Shizuka and I have been assigned as your caretaker when Satome-sama is not available."

Harry was starled. Firstly, he had no clue what the first part of her sentence was and who was Satome-sama? Wait, wasn't Satome the surname of Sasha? So she was talking about Sasha? Seeing the confused and slightly distressed look on her new charge's face, Shizuka quickly backtracked. "Ah, I apologize most humbly, Bocchan! You are only beginning to recover and I should not distress you so!" she exclaimed softly, bowing her head lower.

Her long, dark blue locks touched the floor because she was bowing so lowly. Her eyes were closed but Harry had seen the gray color before she'd lowered them. She was clothed in a light blue robe thing – a kimono, right? – And, like Harry, her feet were bare.

Quiet footsteps alerted them both to another person and soon enough Sasha stood at the doorway with a bemused expression on her face. Pale pink lips were quirked up in a sort of half smile and she sighed. "Ne, Shizuka-chan there's no need to fluster him within seconds of meeting him." She met Harry's eyes with her own hazel ones, "Shizuka brought food for you, eat it before it cools down. Shizuka you're dismissed, my friend."

Her fair skin flushing a pale red, Shizuka stood and bowed again meekly before scurrying out. The child finally looked to his left were the untouched food was. A piece of toast cut in half, scrambled eggs and two pieces of bacon lay on the finely decorated plate. It was more than he had ever received at the Dursley's and it must've shown on his face because Sasha smiled softly at him and came closer. She ruffled his hair, pleased that he didn't flinch – he wasn't looking at her to have the reaction – and sat next to him on the other side.

"I found you, so I'll take care of you." She chirped cheerfully. Harry only picked up the plate and hesitated over the fork. When Sasha nodded at him reassuringly, he lifted the fork and speared a few eggs. Lifting the fluffy, yellow food to his lips he inched the fork closer, as if he was expecting to be told no and have it snatched away from him.

The teen made no move to take it from him, so he ate. Once he tasted it he found that he couldn't stop. Before either occupants of the room realized it, the plate was clean. Harry bushed embarrassingly, and wiped the crumbs from his face, steeling himself to not lick them from his fingers. Maybe if he was nice enough and didn't cause trouble then he would get more food later on.

Sasha stood and gathered the plate and tray. She walked to the door and slid it open but before she walked off she looked back at the innocent child, "Don't worry, kid. You're safe here, because I'll protect you."

She left and Harry remained seated. That look in her eyes was just so determined and warm and caring and… he like it. He liked it a lot. For the first time since being in Japan, Harry couldn't help but have hope.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

Sasha gave Harry's hand a comforting squeezed. He was worried, she was worried, _everyone_ was worried! It had only been a mere 12 weeks since Sasha rescued Harry from that horrendous yōkai and it only took those 12 weeks for him to worm his way into the hearts of those who resided at Satome Manor. It had taken a bit of coaxing for the boy to come out of his shell but he opened up some and was quite the pleasant child.

Due to the fact that Harry's "family" abandoned him he has been declared dead. It made nationwide news for a week straight and the Dursley's ended up facing charges for negligence, abuse, and abandonment. Now that Harry was "dead" it meant that he was free to some extent. Sasha knew that the Wizarding World would be in utter chaos by now so she cooked up a plan.

Now, sitting in front of each other with the rune circle drawn beneath them Harry and Sasha were about to become family. The darker skinned teen found information on a blood ritual that would legally blood adopt Harry as her child/brother. Pon, one of Sasha's many informants, agreed to do the binding and so long as Harry wholeheartedly agreed to do this then the ritual was sure to work.

The candles flickered as the clock struck midnight on this night of the blood moon and Sasha released Harry's hand. Pon had them move to the opposite sides of the circle and remain there. "No matter what," he informed them in his deep baritone, "do _not _move from those sides, understood?"

Sasha drew in a shaky breath, "Yeah. Yeah, understood. Just relax Harry okay?" she said to the child.

Receiving a nod of affirmation, Sasha attempted to relax herself and put her life into the hands of Pon. He began chanting and she let her thoughts drift, absently fingering the silver dagger by her side. It was nearly time for her to leave for Hogwarts again, she would be going into her sixth year and assisting Snape in his class.

She honestly had no clue why that man was still vying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, doesn't he know of the curse? Surely he appreciated his potions class? Well, not the idiots in the class but the subject itself. Her thoughts strayed to her impending birthday, she would be seventeen soon which meant that the elders would be wanting for her to start looking for a mate. Although, perhaps she didn't need one because she has Harry and he can take over as the heir, right? But it might be nice to receive such love and tenderness from someone other than her lovable soon-to-be-son.

"Let their blood flow and unite," Pon chanted.

Harry and Sasha knew this was their clue to slice their hands. Harry only winced at the stinging sensation but otherwise let his life's fluid drip onto the circle. Sasha remained blank faced as she released her blood.

"The demon within one, shall protect both,"

Slowly but surely the familiar markings appeared on Sasha's arm. Harry looked on with awe as his mother figure raised her arm up and allowed the manifestation to happen. A beak tore through the dusky brown skin of her arm followed by skeletal wings. Sasha didn't even blink as a griffin stood proudly on her arm.

Akisame's sleek dark brown fur gleaned in the candlelight and his piercing golden eyes shone with power. He flapped his wings and took to the air, releasing his energy to complete the ritual. Immense pain tore through Sasha more so than Harry. She was taking a risk here but sharing some of the power of what kept her alive. Slowly, Harry's fair skin tanned and his left eye turned hazel. The same marking that covered Sasha's arm and torso – although you can't see the torso – formed on him and he screamed.

Soon enough he blacked out and vaguely he heard the thump of Sasha's body hitting the floor as well. His last coherent thought was happy, albeit a bit morbid.

Harry James Potter was dead.

Haru Satome lived.

**0o0o0o0o0o**

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**Hi all! Sorry for the wait to update, college exams ain't no joke! (Please excuse my grammar). This chapter isn't as long and I apologize for the rushed feeling, I was quite excited to write it and get to the good stuff which will be next chapter! If you have looked at my profile of other works I'm sure you'll see another fic title 'Life As We Know It'. Inspiration for that one is running low but it is not abandoned, I'm just taking a break from it. Keep on the lookout however!**

**Thank you so much for reading and remember to REVIEW! **

**A.P is outty!**

**Ciaossu~**


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